06 June 2017 / by Noel A
ferguson / in Leadership, Management

To create the right climate, you need leadership, not GREEDership.

For some people in a position of 'power', they often confuse
Leadership with Greedership, a 'win at all costs' mentality.
Certainly, determination and tenacity are commendable traits in a
leader, but a habit of 'never giving in' and a lack of self-doubt can
lead to self-annihilation. Some leaders will exclaim there can be no
room for not believing in yourself. I would agree, but not if that
determination is built upon a fallacy, a lack of self-awareness, or
lack of awareness of the macro environment.

Good leaders are always self-aware and aware of the external environment,
frequently scanning to understand how the external environment will influence
and impact their business. You may be aware of the acronyms PEST, STEP or PESTLE
analysis which are often used to categorise the macro environment, with each
letter referring to one of:

The Macro View

As a Leader, open your mind to the macro
environment, how your decisions are guided by, and impact the
environment.

The above factors will influence or impact a business. Equally
though, YOUR actions as a business will also influence and impact each
area. The larger your business, industry or country is, the greater
the impact you will have. Those impacts can have positive or negative
effects.

There has been much news recently of Donald Trump's decision to withdraw the
USA from the Paris climate agreement, stating that he was 'elected to represent
the citizens of Pittsburgh, not Paris'.

For me there is satire in the fact that the Statue of Liberty was gifted to
the people of the United States by the people of France, whose capital he now
derides. The statue's torch flame now seems a metaphor for the Gas Flare found
at petroleum refineries, chemical plants, and natural gas processing plants.

It is somewhat difficult to 'breathe free' if the country reduces steps to
protect the climate.

This is an example of a leader unwilling to acknowledge that impact and
influence on the macro environment is a two-way process, and failing to consider
that a coalition can be beneficial for a country or a business.

Mr Trump is correct in stating that the USA is not the only country not part
of the Paris agreement, but those other two countries, Syria didn't sign the
agreement because the country remains locked in a protracted civil war.

Meanwhile, Nicaragua declined to enter the Paris agreement because those
standards weren't strict enough and didn't require enough sacrifice from
wealthier countries with larger economies. A fact Mr Trump has just reinforced.

Coalitions of countries and business represent an example of what has been
labelled 'co-opetition' - a blend of co-operating with rivals in some spheres
while continuing to compete in others. So your rival becomes your frenemy.

The car industry, of which Mr Trump is such a fan is prime example of
co-opetition with the likes of BMW and Toyota sharing their expertise on
carbon-fibre and hybrid technology to create a hybrid sports car, which each
will sell under its own brand and with its own unique selling points.

As a Leader, open your mind to the macro environment, how your decisions are
guided by, and impact the environment; and that co-opetition and cooperation can
create a beneficial business climate while protecting the Earth's climate.

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